TEN INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT BELIZE GREAT BLUE HOLE

Ten Interesting Facts About Belize Great Blue Hole

The Belize great blue hole is one of the world’s most unique and recognizable natural wonders. It is a giant submarine sinkhole off the coast of Belize. It is one of world’s most recognisable natural wonder.

Here are some facts about the popular great blue hole.

NAME

It’s unique name “The Great Blue Hole” was coined by British diver and author Ned Middleton in the book “Ten Years Underwater” which was published in 1988.

LOCATION

The Belize great blue hole is located near the center of Lighthouse Reef, a small atoll 70 km (43 mi) from the mainland and Belize City.

SHAPE AND SIZE

The Great Blue Hole is circular, and is more than 984 feet across and 407 feet deep. This means that it is almost three standard football field put together.

DISCOVERY

It was made famous in 1972 by Jacques Cousteau, who brought his research vessel Calypso to investigate its depth. He filmed it for his TV series The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau, and declared it one of the top 10 scuba diving sites in the world. Even today, it still is considered a bucket-list dive.

FORMATION

It was formed during several episodes of quaternary glaciation when sea levels were much lower. As the ocean began to rise again, the cave was flooded. Therefore, we can say that the great blue hole was a cave that got filled up with water due to rise in ocean level.

TOURISM

In 2012 Discovery Channel ranked the Great Blue Hole as number one on its list of “The 10 Most Amazing Places on Earth” and it us truly an amazing place.
Usually, day trips to the Great Blue Hole are full-day trips starting from the coastal tourist communities in Belize.

RECREATION

It is also a hot spot among recreational scuba divers who are lured by the opportunity to dive in sometimes crystal-clear water. Jacques Cousteau declared it one of the top 10 scuba diving sites in the world. Till today, it is still considered a bucket-list dive.

The Great blue hole is a hot spot for scuba divers

MARINE LIFE

Scuba divers meet several species of fish and marine life forms including Midnight Parrotfish, Caribbean reef shark, and other juvenile fish species. Other species of sharks, such as the bull shark and hammerheads, have been reported there, but are not regularly sighted.

HERITAGE AND CONSERVATION

The Great Blue Hole is a part of the larger Belize barrier reef system, and is a World Heritage Site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.